Still Indefatigable
by TStabler
Summary: In this sequel to "Indefatigable," we follow UCIC Benson and her husband, Elliot Stabler,into the corrupt, manipulative world of Special Ops Universal. New cases, new tasks, new locations, and new complications arise for these two tireless people. E/O
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've had a million requests for this, and inspiration has finally hit me. The long-awaited sequel to Indefatigable! Hope it was worth the wait! You should probably read the first saga in order for this to make sense. ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

"We do not have a visual UCIC Benson," a voice spat through Olivia's headset. "I repeat, we do not have a visual."

"Well, Donovan," Olivia said back through her mic in harsh whisper, "You'd better fucking get one before I kick down the door and start shooting. I need to know what I'm walking into, here!"

There was silence. She heard a loud beep. Then what sounded like typing. She rolled her eyes. "Today, Donovan!" she barked.

"Sorry, UCIC Benson!" the voice spat. "Sorry, uh, okay we have a visual. Two men, both armed. Hostage appears calm and unharmed."

"Thank you," Olivia said, gruffly. "Why was that so damn hard?" She stayed low to the ground, holding her task-weapon out in front of her, and signaled to the twelve agents around her to move out. She made a hand gesture and two of the agents slowly headed toward the door of the building, pulling it open, quietly. The agents moved in, stealthily, and had the two men surrounded. Olivia stepped through the doors and shouted, "Special Ops! Drop your weapons!"

The two men, dropping their guns, froze and put their arms up in the air. The agents acted quickly, securing the weapons and taking the men into custody.

"Damn," Olivia muttered. "That was rather uneventful. It's always less fun when they just give up like that," she said as she reattached her weapon to her vest. She readjusted her task vest and walked toward the hostage. As she untied the young woman, she bent over and asked, "Are you all right, Your Majesty?"

The regal looking young woman looked up at her and nodded. "Oh, yes," she said. "Quite. A question, though."

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Olivia asked, helping the woman out of her chair.

"Who, if I may be so bold as to ask, are you?" the woman asked, yanking her hand out of Olivia's and backing up slightly, "And why are you touching me?"

"That was two questions," Olivia seethed as she narrowed her eyes, straightening up. "Special Ops Universal Commander-in-Chief Benson," she said. "And I just saved your Royal Highness's ass. A little gratitude would be much appreciated."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Thank you," she said. "Did my father call you?" she asked, her eyes suddenly wide.

"No," Olivia said. "Your father doesn't even know you've been kidnapped. It's my job to know these things before anyone else does." She grabbed the woman's arm and yanked. "Let's go," she said.

"How dare you touch me!" the princess yelped. "I demand that you..."

"You," Olivia interrupted, "Do not get to demand anything from me. _Someone_ didn't read their government hierarchy guidebook. I'm at the top of the food chain, and you answer to me, Princess. As does your father. Now get in the car," Olivia said, shoving the woman toward a black sedan. "Fasten your seatbelt, Princess," she spat, slamming the door.

"How rude!" the princess spat, folding her arms.

"Oh, you haven't seen rude, yet," Olivia said as she smirked. She walked to the front of the car and knocked on the driver's side window. It rolled down and she looked at the agent behind the wheel. "Take her to LHQ, stick her in an interrogation room. Then get King Reynold on the phone and transfer him to me immediately. Do nothing with her until I get back to LHQ."

"Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am," the agent replied, then he drove away, the tires screeching.

"Okay, Baby-Girl," Fin said, sliding up next to her in his task gear. "We came all the way the fuck to London to save that fucking princess, and now that we have, you need to take her in? Why?

"Because, Fin," Olivia said, putting on a pair of dark sunglasses and taking off her task vest, revealing a fitted black suit, "She had herself kidnapped, and I want to know why."

Fin raised an eyebrow. "How the hell do you know that?" he asked, tiliting his head.

"My son, Fin," she said, referring to the now six-year-old boy who entered her life a few months ago. He had a sixth sense, so to speak. "He's never wrong," Olivia added She smirked at Fin, handed him her task vest, then walked away.

* * *

"Stabler," Cragen shouted from his office. "Commander Benson is on the phone."

Elliot picked up the phone immediately. "Hey, baby!" he said excitedly. "When are you coming...woah, woah, stop yelling. Did you just punch someone? Are they fucking crying, Liv? You made an agent cry! They're not supposed to be able to cry, Liv! I told you not to go back out into the field, honey! Stay behind the damn desk! I'm not yelling at you, I'm yelling because I can't hear anything when that guy is crying into the phone! Move away from him! Thank you, now what is wrong with...oh, my God. Yeah. I'll be there in...no, I'll take the chopper. They're both fine, honey, they're just fine. I'm bringing them, yeah. I love you, too." He hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket. "Cap!" he yelled.

Cragen ran out of his office. "What, Stabler?" he asked.

"I'm needed in London. A matter of international security, or some shit," Elliot said. "As SIC of Special Ops, I, apparently, have to be with..."

"Go," Cragen said, nodding. He knew the rules. Ops came before SVU. In fact, Ops, it was discovered, _ran_ SVU.

"Yeah," Elliot said, walking out of the bullpen. His wife needed her husband, and his Universal Commander needed her right-hand man. He was proud, honored, and relieved that he was both.

* * *

Olivia was waiting, with Fin and several other agents, on the helipad of the Ops HQ in London. She checked her watch, several times, and tore a small hole in her sleeve from picking at it absently as she watched the skies. One thing she hated about her new "human" existence was the nerves she couldn't control when it came to her family. Finally, she saw the black stealth-copter land, hovering slightly above the ground.

Elliot stepped out of it, carrying a tiny girl in his arms, and a six-year-old boy hopped out after him. The boy looked at Olivia and ran, smiling, leaping into her arms. "Mommy!" he squealed.

"Evan, baby," Olivia said, scooping him up and squeezing him tight, "Mommy missed you so much!" Evan, a boy they had been given legally custody of when a manipulated agent no longer wanted him, wrapped his little body around her tightly and peppered her with tiny kisses.

"Hey, Benson," Elliot said, using her last name since they were in the presence of other people, as he walked up next to her. He kissed her deeply, and said, "Sleeping Beauty here just couldn't stay awake long enough to see you, but she did nothing but cry since you left this morning."

Olivia shifted Evan, holding him to the side, and she leaned over to kiss her husband again, then peered down at the sleeping five-month-old baby girl. "My sweet Lily," she whispered, running a finger down the girl's cheek.

"I missed you, baby," Elliot whispered to her, kissing her again. "So damn much," he added, kissing her yet again.

Olivia saw something flash in Elliot's eyes and she knew that the same thing had flashed in hers. Lust. "I've only been gone for a few hours, El. I'll make it up to you, later," she said. She smirked at him, took a breath, and said, "Agent Stabler, front and center!"

A young man who looked like a younger version of Elliot stepped forward, in a black suit, and said, "Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am?"

"Escort your niece and nephew to our quarters," Olivia said, putting Evan down. Elliot handed Lily to Damon, carefully, and nodded at his half-brother. "Stay with them until we get back," Olivia added.

"Yes, UCIC, Ma'am," Damon said, taking Evan's hand and walking briskly to the sliding glass doors on the right that led into the building. Evan, the cutie, jumped and pressed his little palm onto the palm-print-panel to open them, since Damon had his hands full.

"So, how did this happen?" Elliot asked, getting right to business, knowing that extreme pleasure would come sooner if they got the business out of the way.

Olivia began to walk toward a set of sliding glass doors on the other side of the roof. Everyone followed her, closely, as she linked her hand with Elliot's. "Security breach in the palace," she said, pressing her palm to the panel that would open the door. She knew Elliot hated being spoken to like an agnet, but she had to say this to an entire team. "Princess Britania had herself violently abducted, knowing the attention and focus of security and offical angencies would be on finding _her_. Meanwhile, she hired someone else, someone with apparent connections, to terminate her father. No security camera picked anything up, and no guard saw anything suspicious. It was either an inside job, or that royal pain-in-the-ass gave the assassin a map of the palace and the locations of all the cameras so he or she would avoid them." She walked, dropping Elliot's hand, into a bright white corridor. Her team followed her.

"So, we've got a fucking dead king on our hands and the princess is the perp," Elliot said, raising an eyebrow.

"Must you talk like such a...cop?" Olivia asked, rolling her eyes as she rested her hand on another panel, opening the doors to a bright purple hallway.

Elliot rolled his eyes right back. "I _am_ a cop," he said. "Excuse me if I still haven't gotten used to saying things like 'terminate' and 'un-sub,' 'assailant,' and 'task.' He sped up, noticing that she walked a lot faster when she was in Agent Mode. "Kill, perp, perp, and case, Liv. English. You should try it sometime."

"Anal retentive son of a bitch," Olivia muttered, smirking as she sent a sidelong glance at him.

"Agent-speak for asshole," Elliot said, translating for his own benefit. "Remind me why I love you." He smirked back at her. He loved playing with her.

Olivia looked over her shoulder as they continued down the hall, the walls changing their shade to a light lavender. "Because I love you," she said. "And it's in your genes," she added. It was. They'd been genetically coded to compliment one-another perfectly. Special Ops referred to this phenomenon as "pre-determined mating."

Elliot winked at her, a smile on his face, as they turned the corner and waited for Olivia to open the sliding doors. They were in a red corridor now, with lots of large, windowed rooms. "The British interrogation corridor," Elliot muttered.

"Yes, Stabler," Olivia said. "Exactly. You and I have to talk to her royal bitchyness."

Elliot whistled. "Uh-oh, she really rubbed you the wrong way, huh?" he asked, teasing.

"In a manner of speaking," Olivia said, stopping in front of the interrogation room holding the princess.

"What did she do?" Elliot asked, folding his arms and chuckling.

Olivia raised an eyebrow as she glared through the two-way-mirrored wall at the young woman. "She demanded..."

"Stop right there," Elliot said holding up a hand. "No one demands anything from you, Benson. You've killed people for less."

"So have you," Olivia said, reminding him what the last year of his life had really been like. Olivia held out a hand and Agent Donovan slapped a file into her open palm. Olivia nodded, then opened the file. "Well," she said, snapping the file closed, "You ready?"

"I was born ready," Elliot said, smirking as he straightened his tie.

"That line is really getting old, you cheeseball," Olivia said, looking at him with a tight- lipped smile, trying not to laugh. It was true, though. Elliot, like Olivia, was a _genetic_ agent. But circumstances and a lot of manipulation had kept him away from the life he would have known. Now that he knew it, he accepted who he was by joking about it. It made it easier to handle.

Elliot chuckled as he moved to press a palm to the panel that would open the metal door to the interrogation room, but he stopped. He looked at Olivia and furrowed his brow. "What, exactly, is our primary interrogation tactic here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry?" Olivia said, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Did you just speak like an Agent?" she asked, feigning surprise.

Elliot laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am!" he said, saluting, just to mock her. He pressed his palm to the panel and waited.

The metal doors slid open and Olivia, through her chuckling, whispered, "She's afraid of spiders, baby."

"Excellent. I love it when they're afraid of spiders," Elliot said. Then he and Olivia stepped through the door to get some answers and hand down their sentencing. Princess Britania had no idea what was about to hit her. Or bite her.

* * *

"Agent Stabler!" Olivia called as she and Elliot walked through the gold elevator doors to their London HQ penthouse.

Damon came running in from the kitchen. "Yes, UCIC Ma'am?" he asked, standing at attention.

"Cut it out, Damon," Olivia said. "Relax."

"Thanks, Benson," Damon said, smiling. "The kids are both asleep. They were well behaved and young Lily only cried three times. I have successfully distinguished between her 'hungry' cry and her 'change-my-diaper' cry."

Olivia chuckled. "Wonderful. Now you can watch them whenever we need you to, Damon. Since we're here now, you can go. Thank you."

"Anytime," Damon said. He gave Olivia a hug and gave a small, masculine hug to Elliot. He grabbed his jacket and left, and as soon as the golden 'vator-doors slid closed, Elliot pulled Olivia toward him, roughly.

"Oh! Hello," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot yanked lightly on her hair, pulling her head back. He dropped his lips to her neck, finding the spot that made her crazy, and she moaned. "Hi," he mumbled against her skin. His hands pushed down her black pants, taking her silk underwear with them, and he pushed two fingers into her, just as roughly as he'd been kissing and biting her neck.

"El, baby," Olivia panted, "God. What are you..."

"Baby," Elliot said, picking his head up to look at her, "Don't ask questions."

Olivia moaned as Elliot's fingers thrust in and out of her, and he thumbed her clit. "Okay," she said. "Tell me what you're doing, then," she said with a moaning grunt. "That wasn't a, holy shit, question, El."

Elliot backed her up against the wall, and pulled his fingers out of her, licking them clean the way he always did. He gave her an evil laugh and stared into her eyes, devilishly. "No orders, either," he said, winking at her. He unbuckled his pants and lowered them quickly, then pushed himself into her on one swift move.

"Jesus, Elliot!" Olivia cried, clutching onto him before she could remind herself to be quiet.

"Shh," Elliot scolded. "You'll wake up the kids," he whispered, hitting into her, hard and fast. "You left so early this morning," he said, hiking her legs up around his waist. "You left before I even woke up."

"Had to," she said, through gritted teeth. "Needed, fuck, El, to get here. Oh, God, Elliot!"

Elliot continued his hard, vicious pistoning as he ran his hands through her hair. "Damn, baby," he said, breathing against her lips. "You know, holy shit, baby, I get like this after interrogations. Still blowing off steam," he whispered, crashing his lips into hers.

Olivia clenched around him, digging her nails into his back, and whimpered as she came. She squeezed him tighter, clenched around him harder, as she felt him spill inside of her. Just as her head dropped to his, her watch bleeped, loudly, like a cricket. "Bloody hell," she muttered.

"Oh, we have to get back to New York," Elliot said, kissing her. "You've been hanging around too many British agents."

Olivia, still pinned between the wall and Elliot, hit the communicator button on her watch and said, "What, Donovan?"

"UCIC Benson, Ma'am," Donovan's voice greeted. "We need to get back to NYHQ, ASAP."

"Now, Donovan, is really not an appropriate time," Olivia said, feeling Elliot moving within her again. "Stop!" she whispered.

Elliot just chuckled and kept moving. "No," he whispered. He grinned as Olivia pressed her lips together tightly to keep from moaning when a subordinate agent could hear her.

"UCIC Benson, Ma'am," Donovan said again, "We really do not have time to waste. Task information is being transmitted. We're expected at Central at oh-four-hundred, Ma'am. Agent Lake will meet you there." There was a bleep, signifying that Donovan had ended his call.

Olivia tilted her watch up, peering at it, and she gasped. "El," she spat, "Put me down, baby. Go get the kids. We really do have to go. Now."

Elliot, concerned, looked her in the eyes. "What is it, baby?" he asked, brushing her hair back.

Olivia, dropping to her feet and picking up her clothes, looked back up at him. She softened her gaze, but spoke as officially as possible to keep her emotions in check. "We have to go initiate Phase One on Task:Cragen."

**A/N: So, we're back! How has life with children affected Commander Benson? What's different in the SVU? Who's after Cragen? And what kind of _worldly_ troubles can they get into? Coming up, as the saga of these two indefatigable people continues!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Who's after Cragen? What is their home life like, now that they have kids? Has Olivia softened since she became a mother? How did her pregnancy affect her? All that, right here.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

The flight was short, owing to the incredibly fast jet Olivia had commissioned from the Special Ops Transport and Mobilization Taskforce. Once it landed at their New York Headquarters, Damon was, again, asked to bring the kids back to their penthouse, while Olivia and Elliot were briefed on the new task that had sprung up while they were in London.

"Donovan," Olivia spat, walking down the stark white corridor, heading into the Orange wing, "When I am on a task out of the country, what is supposed to happen when a new one arises?"

Donovan swallowed hard as he looked back at his Universal Commander. "UCIC Benson, Ma'am, the alert is to be sent directly to your wrist computation device. We're not sure how it mis..."

"Correct," Olivia snapped, interrupting, pressing her palm to the panel to the side of the conference room doors. "So why did I get the call from you, instead of getting it directly?" The doors slid open and she, Elliot, and the seventeen agents behind her filed into the room and sat around the table.

"That's my fault, UCIC Benson, Ma'am," another agent spoke up as Olivia reached for the black task folders.

"Agent Lake," Olivia said, "How is that your fault?"

The tall, dark haired agent rose from his seat and replied, "I informed Agent Donovan of the task before it was officially docketed. Inside information came to my attention while working my cover occupation, and I took it upon myself to…"

"Hold it," Olivia said, holding up her hand. "You're telling me that you, personally, prompted a task without an express need for it, without my consent, and without first finding out if I was already on the task."

"Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am," Agent Lake said, nodding once.

"Never do that again," Elliot said, looking at the newly transferred agent. He already decided he didn't like him.

Olivia smirked at Elliot, and handed him a black folder. "Luckily for Agent Lake, he only propelled a current task into an operational phase. If he had, in fact, gone over my head, he'd be facing some serious consequences. The man we are assigned to protect should not take much effort, since several agents work with him as it is. Task:Cragen is now, unfortunately, in Phase One. I implore you to read your files thoroughly, memorize every bit of information about the task, and I want any and all suggested assailants reported when we reconvene at oh-four-hundred."

There was a collective, "Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am," from the room, including Elliot, who still couldn't say it with a straight face. She was his "Liv," since the day they met, and calling her anything but that made him feel funny.

"Dismissed," Olivia said, turning on her heels. She pressed her palm to the panel and headed out through the glass doors.

Elliot caught up to her, grabbed her hand, and walked with her toward the elevator. He pressed his palm to the panel, opening the doors, and the guards inside greeted them both with a gruff, "Salutations."

"Yeah, hi," Elliot responded. He rolled his eyes at the staunch guards, hating the fact that no one in this new world of his had any personality except for Olivia, and even that was a stretch. She still didn't understand the point of the Super-Bowl, and she still refused to eat red-meat and sugar. He tried like hell to get her to try new things, and she would, but there were some things about Olivia Benson that had been way too damaged to fix. He feared, sometimes, that she was beyond repair.

Then he thought of her pregnancy. Every new emotion or physical change affected her. She was puzzled, amazed, excited, nervous…every emotion she had been forbidden to feel had hit her like a ton of bricks and it was wonderful to watch. He chuckled out loud when he remembered her reaction to the first time Lily kicked.

"She doesn't like me, El! Why is she kicking me? Do I kick her back? How do I do that without hurting myself?"

He bought her books, and she read them cover-to-cover, three times each. She was now an expert on what to expect when you're expecting. He remembered holding her hand in the delivery room, how for the first time in her life she experienced severe, physical pain, and didn't mind at all if it meant bringing her daughter into the world. He remembered her face when the doctor put Lily into her arms, and he loved seeing that same expression on her face every time she looked at their daughter. Motherhood had changed her, certainly, but now, it was as if she had a switch. One she could flip to turn the agent in her on and off. When they were alone, just them and the kids, it was as if she were a normal girl. Almost.

The 'vator doors slid opened, breaking Elliot out of his reverie, and he, still holding Olivia's hand, walked out into their posh penthouse. He let go of his wife's hand long enough to take off his jacket and sling it over the back of a chair, and watched as it was almost immediately picked up by Nyla, their android.

"That thing still freaks me out," Elliot said, watching it walk into their bedroom.

"She can hear you, you know," Olivia scolded. "She is not a thing, El."

Elliot scoffed. "She's made of metal and flesh colored rubber, Liv. She's a thing and she doesn't have feelings so is she really gonna care what I call her?"

Olivia chuckled. Elliot didn't even know Nyla was a robot until Olivia told him to go turn her on, once, and he almost flipped out at the thought of being with another woman, even if it was suggested by his wife. She laughed, hysterically, and then took him to Nyla's closet and showed him how to activate her. He was floored. She was incredibly realistic, as were the hundred other robots working in the building.

"I guess she isn't," Olivia finally said, still laughing at her memory. "Once she's done in the bathroom, you can shut her down. I know she gives you the creeps."

Elliot shuddered. "I just…if that's the kind of technology Special Ops has at their disposal, how do I know you're not an android?"

Olivia turned and looked at him, smirking. "Androids, while you can program them to act as a, uh, significant other, can absolutely not have kids. I'm pretty damn sure I'm human. But if you need me to prove it..."

"I know you are," Elliot laughed. "I was kidding, baby. You still can't tell when I'm joking?"

Olivia shrugged, and said, "I'm getting better. You gotta admit I'm not taking you as serisouly as I did when we met, honey."

"I'll give you that," Elliot nodded. "Wait, Liv. Did you just tell me that you can have sex with those things?" he asked, shocked.

Olivia laughed and shook her head. "Wow, El. And I'm the slow one?" she quipped, walking into the nursery. Elliot followed her and smiled when she bent down to pick up Lily. He saw that look in her eyes, the warm, soft look on her face, and he fell in love with her all over again. "Hey, sweetie," she cooed. "Mommy missed you."

"So did Daddy," Elliot said as he wrapped his arms around Olivia. He brushed his finger down the tiny girl's cheek, laughing as she smiled and giggled, and said, "We make beautiful babies, Liv."

"We sure do, El," Olivia agreed, rocking the girl in her arms. She turned to kiss her husband, then they walked with Lily to the changing table. They changed her, fed her, and played with her until she fell asleep, in the middle of a rousing game of "grab Daddy's ears." They each gave her a soft kiss and placed her back down in the crib, then walked down the hall to check on Evan. He was fast asleep with a smile on his face. Olivia and Elliot walked into his room, kissed his cheeks, then Olivia noticed something on his desk. "El," she said, flipping through the red and green crayon drawings, "He's doing it again."

"What are they, this time?" Elliot asked, walking over to look over Olivia's shoulder.

Olivia held up the first drawing, smiling. "Apparently he thinks he's getting a baby brother," she said. "Named Richard," she added, pointing to the scrawled name beneath the picture.

"Well, he's never wrong," Elliot said, wagging his eyebrows as he leaned in to kiss her. "But Richard, though?"

Olivia chuckled against his lips. "We'll see," she said, knowing full well that Evan's visions were never wrong. He knew she was pregnant with Lily before she did. "At least Lily looks to be about two years old in this picture," she mused, looking back at the drawing.

"Yeah," Elliot sighed, "That means I have to wait a while to see you glow the way you did when you were carrying Lil."

"Good, I just got my figure back," Olivia laughed.

Elliot shook his head and kissed her. "You never lost it, baby," he said to her, running his hands down her body.

Olivia rolled her eyes as she was pulled closer to Elliot, then picked up the second picture. "This one is the one that worries me," she said, handing it to Elliot.

"Why? He drew you in your agent gear, me in mine, that shouldn't be a surprise. Then he drew some blonde chick and he drew Don…oh," he paused, taking in the significance of the drawing. "He's seen this, then? This happens?"

Olivia bit her lip. "He could be wrong," Olivia said. "There's a first time for everything, isn't that what you always tell me?"

"Yeah," Elliot spat in a whisper, "When I try to get you to eat bacon, baby. But this is…we can stop this, right? This is just a warning? Like with the princess?"

"Could be," Olivia said, turning on her heels to leave the room. Elliot followed her, and was led to her office. She sat and flipped on three computers. One, just a white screen, blipped to life and she typed rapidly. Elliot, looking over her shoulder, saw nothing but encrypted, coded writing. He was trying to learn how to read it, but it was confusing. There were several different codes to memorize, and you had to be fluent in all of them to be able to read interoffice memos, but Olivia knew what it said.

_ATTN: Agent Lake_

_Re: Task: Cragen: Status: Phase One_

_Task: Unkown: Status: Research and Report_

_Be advised assailant in Task: Cragen has access to sixteenth precinct, has infiltrated Task:Cragen's circle of employers and friends, and is now believed to have an accomplice. Second task, unknown, brought to attention at nineteen-hundred. Primaries on task are myself and SIC Stabler, with Agent Tutuola running second. Briefing will commence at oh-four-hundred to discuss dual-task process. _

_ATTACHMENT: File and photo. Assailant: E. Tucker. _

_ATTACHMENT: File and photo. Assailant: E. Donnelly._

_ATTACHMENT: File, no photo available, Assailant: V. Gitano_

She hit send, then turned to see Elliot running background checks on Tucker and Donnelly, trying to find a reason they would want to hurt Cragen, and he printed everything he could.

"El, baby, you're getting the hang of this," Olivia commended, running her hands over his arms as she came up behind him.

"I am," he replied with a nod. He turned to her, kissed her, and nuzzled her nose. "Enough work for tonight," he said, running his hand through her hair. "I wanna make love to you. Slowly."

Olivia looked up at him, her eyes twinkling. She grabbed his hand and led him out of the office, and into the bedroom, where they commenced a task all their own.

**A/N: So Tucker and Donnelly have teamed up? Couldn't be! Something's gotta be wrong, there. And we get to see how they take on Gitano, the Special Ops way!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I cannot believe how long this has taken me. Sorry!**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf own SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

Olivia paced back and forth in her office, her arms were folded, her lip was being chewed between her teeth. "No," she said firmly. "Absolutely not!"

"UCIC Benson, Ma'am," a woman in a black uniform began, "With his gift, we could nail the assailants in mere moments! We could be efficient and could save…"

"I am not using my son as weapon!" she shouted, her eyes wide, her hands balled into fists. "My son draws pictures, he can't help what he sees and how often he sees it. I will not force him to do your job for you!"

"Commander," the man before her spoke with an evil smile, "With all due respect, he is not your son."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. She moved out from behind the desk. "Say that again, Agent Lake," she dared.

"The boy," Lake said, looking directly at her, unafraid, "Is not your son. Not biologically. It is impossible for genetic agents to show that kind of loyalty and affection to someone who is neither their mate nor offspring." He shook his head. "You're becoming less of an agent and more of a…civilian. I blame Stabler."

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "Agent Donovan," she said, her jaw clenched, "Please remove Agent Lake from my office before I terminate him with my bare hands."

The second male agent moved forward, grabbing Lake by the arms and leading him out of the large office. The woman, though, stayed behind.

"UCIC Benson, Ma'am?" she questioned, fear in her voice.

"What, Agent Clarkson?" Olivia huffed, running a hand down his face.

The woman took off her hat. "If I may," she said, clearing her throat, "Agent Lake was correct, Ma'am. Genetic agents cannot form bonds with outsiders, so if there's something you are withholding from this force, I think you should…"

"Anyone…genetic agent, civilian, trained monkey…can learn how to love, Agent Clarkson. Even you." She looked at the brunette and sneered. "As difficult as that may be for you to digest."

"I don't doubt that, Commander," the agent said with a single nod. "I'm curious…as to how…how it happened. SIC Stabler, the young Evan, Miss Lily," she listed. "How did that all come about?"

Olivia looked at her, then tilted her head. "I honestly have no idea," she said, moving back behind her desk. "I remember being terrified, another feeling genetic agents aren't supposed to have, and it all snowballed…I couldn't stop it, and if I'm being honest, I didn't want to. Love, Agent Clarkson, only makes a person stronger, not weaker like we're all trained to believe."

"Do you love your mate?" Clarkson asked, taking a step forward.

"More than anything," Olivia said without hesitating.

Clarkson cleared her throat again. "He was your task, once, true?"

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Clarkson," she said, nodding. "He was my task long before I knew he was my mate. Why do you ask?"

Clarkson shifted. "Permission to sit, Commander?"

"Granted," Olivia said, then watched the agent drop into a chair. "Does this have something to do with the task, Agent Clarkson?"

"I've been given the report on my chosen mate, Ma'am," the woman said with a hint of trepidation in her voice. "It…well, it seems that…my mate is one Edward J. Tucker of the New York Police Department, I have not yet met him, but he is on the list of assailants in this particular…"

"So you wanted me to push my son to draw you a picture of your future husband for you," Olivia determined, slightly irritated.

"No, UCIC, Ma'am," Clarkson said, shaking her head. "I want to find him, question him, clear his name. If he's been chosen to be my life partner, than there is no way he could possibly…"

"I understand," Olivia said, standing. "You're excused, Agent Clarkson. I have friends in the NYPD, I'm going to find this Edward for you, and I will question him myself. If this is some kind of error, I will have the Relationship Taskforce search for a new one for you."

"You would…you would do that for me? Why?" Clarkson asked.

Olivia smirked. "I'm not doing it for you, Clarkson. It's in my job description." She headed for the door and turned around. "But between you and me, it's because I have an indeterminable amount of compassion. Another feeling genetic agents shouldn't possess."

Clarkson tilted her head, confused. "Then how…"

"Like I said," Olivia mumbled, "I just don't know." She left her office, leaving the agent alone with several armed guards.

* * *

"Ev, kid," Elliot said, sitting on the couch. "What's going on in this picture?"

Evan, looking up at Elliot, said, "You're at work with Momma."

Elliot smiled. "I know, but what, um, what is Mommy doing?" he asked. "What am I doing? Who's on the floor here?"

Evan continued coloring as he spoke. "Mommy's doing her job, you're helping her. The man's name is Don."

"How did Don get on the ground like that?" Elliot asked gently.

"Don't know," Evan said with a shrug, coloring a group of trees with a bright purple crayon.

Elliot bent forward and kissed Evan's head. "I love you, kiddo," he whispered. Then he stood. He walked over to the two agents in the hallway and said, "Happy now? That's all he knows. That's all he sees. Don't you people have computer programs for this kind of shit?"

The first man nodded. "We just thought…"

"What is going on here?" Olivia's voice shouted, the gold elevator doors closing behind her. She narrowed her eyes. "You again," she hissed. "Agent Lake, please remove yourself from my private quarters."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "They told me you sent them up here to…"

"I told them that I was not going to subject my child to an interrogation because they are too lazy and insipid to do their own jobs!" she yelled. "Get out. Now."

"Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am," the younger agent said, leaving immediately.

Agent Lake, though, looked at her with narrow eyes. "You're making a mistake by not fostering that child's gift, Commander."

Olivia folded her arms. "That child's entire family was terminated because former commanders wanted to use him exactly the way you are suggesting I do," she fumed. "I would have stopped it, had I known. No way, not now, not ever. He is my son, a child, not a new tool for this agency to use at its whim."

Agent Lake grinned at her. "Again, Commander, I state…he is not your son." He leaned forward and whispered, "If you ever come back to your senses and remember who you are, you will use the boy and end this task."

"I know exactly who I am," Olivia spat. "I think it's you who's forgotten your place in this agency, Agent Lake."

Lake turned and gave Elliot a harsh look. "What the hell have you done to her?" he asked, shaking his head, then pivoting and following a guard back into the elevator, leaving.

"What the hell was that about?" Elliot asked, his voice low.

Olivia shook her head. "Agent Lake seems to think I've become weak and incapable of running this operation."

"What? Why?" he asked, following her back into the living room, watching as she picked Evan up and kissed her.

"Because of him," she said, kissing the boy's forehead again. "And you. And Lil."

"So you have a family," he said with a shrug. "That just makes you fight harder, right? Because you have more to fight for."

Olivia smiled and brushed Evan's hair back. "That's right," she said. "The others…they don't understand that. They aren't like me, El. They're all…what I used to be. Cold. Calculating. Only doing what they are told to do, when they're told to do it." She put Evan back down and he hugged her knees tightly.

"I love you, Momma," he said before running off to his playroom.

"I love you, too, sweetie," she whispered, a thudding in her chest. She took a breath and looked at Elliot. "We have to go pay a visit to your old unit. Obviously, to inform Cragen that someone wants his head, and we also have to…"

"Tucker and Donnelly," he interrupted. "I know them. Come on, I'll drive."

She laughed. "Elliot?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, you win, as usual, Commander. We'll take that stupid van."

"And?" she asked, waving over her shoulder to Damon.

Damon waved back, then headed back into the nursery to check on Lily. Elliot smiled, knowing his children were safe, and said, "And…one of the guards can drive."

Olivia kissed him softly. "You'd much rather be in the back with me anyway, right?"

He smirked, his eyes darkening. "Oh, hell, yes!" he said, grabbing his jacket and following her into their elevator.

* * *

"Donovan," Olivia barked into her watch, her heels clicking as she barreled down the white tiled hallway in the Sixteenth precinct's Special Victim's Unit, "Send me everything you've got on E. Donnelly, E. Tucker, and this V. Gitano."

"Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am," Donovan answered, his voice clear in her earpiece.

She turned the corner and marched into the squad room with Elliot right beside her, and several agents and guards behind them. She looked around, seeing the entire room on their feet, saluting. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, at ease, would you?"

The group dispersed, getting back to business, and Munch smiled at both of them. "Long time, no see, guys."

"How ya doin', John?" Elliot said, shaking his hand.

"No complaints," Munch answered. "You? Adjusting to life in the fantastical world of Special Ops?"

Elliot looked over at Olivia, who had gone into Cragen's office with a guard. "Not really," he said. "But I'm loving my life with her."

"You have to bring that baby by, ya know," Munch said. "I'd love to see her."

"All right," Elliot said, nodding. Then he turned. "Fin, what do you have on this…"

Fin handed him a file. His eyes met Elliot's in a cold stare. "Read it, don't say anything to her about it. Not until we're sure."

Elliot looked through the file on one V. Gitano, and his eyes narrowed then widened. "He's after…but how…why?"

Fin pointed to the file. "Keep reading."

Elliot flipped a page, and he cursed under his breath as he read. "How did he even find out about what Evan can do?"

Fin stood and moved closer to him. "Gotta be a leak in the agency," he said. "This Gitano guy, he's been trained. He's got serious intel and ops knowledge. Someone on the inside has been feeding him shit. From what I gathered, he wants Evan because he can see the future. That's lotto numbers, bank transactions, deaths of millionaires without wills…"

"So this son of a bitch wants my son to make him rich," Elliot hissed. "And he wants my wife for what reason?"

Fin shrugged. "My guess is, because she's the UCIC."

"Over my dead body," Elliot said, giving Fin back the folder. "No way am I gonna let my son and my wife become some fucking…task.

Olivia was now directly in front of him, looking from him to Fin. Her face had gone white, her blood had gone cold. "What did you just say?"

**A/N: If anyone is still reading this, next up is a chat with Tucker, Donnelly's privacy is invaded in an odd way, and a night alone with UCIC Benson, and SIC Stabler.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Forgive the wait on this story. It's one of the most difficult to plot out. **

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story is owned by TStabler**

"Liv," Elliot called, a few feet behind her as they barreled down the hallway toward the elevator. "Liv!"

She turned sharply. "Rules!" she snapped, not slowing or stopping.

He pushed aside one of the armed guards and pulled at her wrist just as she hit the call button. "Calm down!"

"We do not get to choose the proposed task," she said, her jaw clenched. "You are just as aware of that."

"We don't get to to pick the vic," he said, rolling his eyes, "Jesus, can you drop the act and just speak in plain English?"

"Act?" she questioned, stepping into the elevator. She was followed by Elliot and six uniformed agents. "Maybe they're right," she hissed at him. "All of them." She glared at him and shook her head. "I've forgotten what I am."

"You mean who," he told her.

"No," she affirmed. "I don't."

"Liv," he whispered, his heart breaking. "Liv, you don't..."

"It's true, Elliot," she interrupted. She took a breath and closed her eyes. "Isn't it?"

He took her hand, caressing the side of her palm with his thumb. He choked back a sob, tried to swallow, and said, "I think you know...exactly what...and who you are." He kissed her forehead. "Don't you?"

She nuzzled him a bit and whispered, "Yes." Then, just as fast as she softened, she straightened up and stiffened again. "Agent McHale?"

"Yes, UCIC Benson, Ma'am!" the older agent saluted.

The elevator came to a stop as she turned toward the man. "She moved a step to the left, away from Elliot. "Take SIC Stabler back to HQ, escort him to our quarters. I want the elevator shut down entirely, remove all access prints from the system except mine. And ward off the stairs."

Elliot's eyes widened. "What? Liv, no way in fucking hell am I..."

"And shut down all of the ComTech equipment in the chambers," Olivia added, moving with the other guards off of the lift.

McHale narrowed his eyes. "Forgiveness is requested, UCIC Benson, Ma'am, but the rules clearly state that the spouse of the..."

"McHale, I made that rule," she cut him off fiercely. "I can break it." Just as the doors slid shut, she looked into Elliot's hurt and angry eyes. "Don't let them hurt our son," she said to him, her own eyes filling with pain.

The doors finally closed, and she took a deep breath, stopping the tears before they started. She made a sharp turn, her heels clicking on the tiles as she headed for her destination, Sergeant Edward Tucker's office. She hoped, as she reached for the door, Elliot would forgive her when she got home.

* * *

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Commander Benson?" Tucker asked, a smug grin on his face. He offered her a seat and licked his lips. "Usually, it's that troublemaker of a husband you've got who's in here, asking me for favors."

"I assure you," she said, not smiling, "I do not need a favor. If I did, I wouldn't have to ask you." She narrowed her eyes. "Are you and Captain Donald Cragen on friendly terms?"

Tucker scoffed. "We have our moments, Commander, but we're hardly beer buddies." He saw the confusion on her face. "We don't hang out."

"Hang what out?" she asked, squinting.

"We...aren't...um...friends," he clarified further. "Why do you ask?"

Olivia cleared her throat. "Well, our offices have received intel that implies a crime is about to be committed, and that Cragen might be caught up in the crossfire." She swallowed. "It would most certainly not be an accident."

"Hold on," he said, holding up a hand. "You're team of creepy men in black got word that someone wants to whack Cragen?"

"I have no knowledge on the method of termination," she said sternly.

Tucker chuckled. "Lady, you need to watch more cable." He shook his head. "Look, I don't like the guy, I'm never gonna be first in line to play a round of golf with him, but I don't want him dead!" He folded his arms. "That would make more work for me, and it's a headache I just don't need."

Olivia nodded, understanding. "Do you have any idea why someone would want to hurt him?"

"Besides the thousands of people who are in jail because of him?" Tucker snipped. "And, forgive me, Commander, but you read the file. We both know who the real target is. Cragen's a decoy, isn't he?"

Olivia flinched. "How could you have possibly..."

"I know more about your precious Special Ops than you think," he said, his voice low. "Do you ever ask yourself...why you feel? Why you laugh, why you cry, why Stabler was such an easy influence on you? Why you love him?"

Olivia stood up fast. "You know jack shit about the..."

"And that temper," Tucker said, standing as he interrupted her. "Do you notice you talk less like an agent when you're mad? I bet when you're off duty completely, you sound almost...normal."

Olivia folded her arms. "I've been told so, yes."

"One thing, Commander," Tucker said. "I'm going to tell you one little thing, and then you'll know why I couldn't possibly be the, uh, 'assailant' you're looking for."

Silently, Olivia gave him a tilt of her head and held out a hand, asking him for it.

"The man you knew as Commander Joseph Marsden? The man you thought was your father?" Tucker said, moving toward her, "That wasn't him." He folded his arms and looked into her eyes. "His name, that was the truth. But the real Joe Marsden ran the agency out of an office in an undisclosed location, and having his physical counterpart killed, well, that was his way out."

"Are you...you're saying that...he's alive?" Olivia asked, her arms falling to her sides. "And that the man I...that wasn't really..."

"Marsden was a very powerful man, Commander Benson." Tucker chuckled and smirked. "Faking his own death was a piece of cake. He wanted you in charge so he could quit, and he got it." He nodded once. "And he was just like you."

"What do you mean, like me?" Olivia sat again, her heart racing but her face not showing any hint of fear or nervousness.

"He felt things," Tucker shrugged. "He had too much sympathy and too much heart, he fell in love...numerous times...and he broke down with every loss of an innocent life. So he removed himself from the whole thing. He hired someone to take his place, acting on only written orders. No one knows where he is, what he looks like...he could be anywhere, Commander. He could be...anyone."

"Oh, my God," Olivia gasped, her eyes widening. "You...you're not..."

"Hell no!" Tucker shouted. "No, no, I'm...I'm not old enough to be your father, and if I was...I wouldn't have agreed to let some crackpot government agency turn you into a robot." He sighed and said. "And I'm sorry I can't give you more than that. But I'm not about to kill a man who's only responsibility in life is to keep you and your husband safe." He narrowed his eyes a bit. "No matter how much of a pain in my ass Stabler is. I know all about it, Commander. I'm on your side."

Olivia nodded, blinking, and she rose to her feet. Without another word, she left the office, and her guards led her back to the elevator. "Franks? Get me to one E. Donnelly. Fast." She checked her watch and she sighed. She was missing dinner with her family tonight.

* * *

Elliot peered down at his sleeping daughter, in her crib. His finger stroked her soft cheek, his lips curled into a smile. He whispered, as softly as he could, "Are you leaving me, Liv?"

Olivia straightened up from her spot in the doorway, shocked at how he'd known she was there. She took a few steps toward him, both of her hands reaching for his broad shoulders. "No," she said quietly. She smoothed her hands down his arms. "Never."

He gripped her hands and turned, facing her. He squeezed tighter as he asked, "Then what the hell was that, today, huh?" He bit his lip, taking in the sight of her, her tan skin standing out so strongly from the pale pink of the nursery. "You morphed back into the...machine...you were when we first met. And it's not that I didn't think you were..."

"Oh, El, I...I'm so sorry," she murmured, her hands grasping his tee shirt as he held her wrists tighter still. "I didn't think...I just..." She blinked and felt her nose burn, her chest tighten. "You're the only one that can protect him." She sniffled and her bottom lip trembled. "With us both gone, I thought...I thought they'd come back and, to be frank, they're all more afraid of you than they are of me because they know you don't care about the rules, you'd just kill them." She tilted her head and exhaled. "I'm so sorry, I never meant...I guess I'm just so used to barking orders that, for a minute I forgot you do not particularly enjoy following them."

"You could have just asked me to go home," he whispered, his lips brushing her forehead. "Tell me next time, baby. We're in this for good, for life, partners. You don't get to pull rank with me like that." He grinned. "Unless you're naked," he winked. "I don't want to fight with you, but I don't want to feel like I'm "Second In Command" to you in our marriage, either. I get it, but I hate..."

"El," she sighed, "Please? Don't?" She dropped her head to his and pressed her lips against his lightly. Her wrists twisted in his hands, the tears welled up in her eyes.

He stopped breathing. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "Not now," she whispered, pulling, trying to get him to follow her out of the nursery. "I'll tell you everything, as soon as I can, but please, El, right now just...just make me forget?"

He held her gaze, his eyes boring into hers, as he walked with her out of the pink room into their bedroom. He dropped her lightly onto the bed and pulled his shirt off without hesitation.

She dragged her nails down his bare chest as he draped over her, his hands working to get her out of her clothes, and with each move he made her nails dug deeper into his skin.

"Just tell me..." he said to her, dropping her clothes to the floor. He kissed his way up her body and nipped at her neck. "Tell me what I did to..."

"Nothing," she panted in his ear as she shivered against him. "I just wanted to..."

"You don't have to protect me," he told her, cupping her face. The desperation in his eyes was mirrored in hers and he thrust into her in one move, making her wince and moan. "Please, baby, just...never do that to me again."

She nodded as she kissed him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her body bracing against his as all thoughts of Special Ops, Ed Tucker, and Joe Marsden flew from her mind, replacing themselves with nothing but love for the man inside of her. In her body. In her heart. In her soul.

* * *

"You wanna talk about it now?" he asked into the darkness, his fingers laced with hers as she breathed against his chest.

"We interrupted Donnelly while she was in the shower," she said. "She was pretty pissed, but she told us she's not planning on killing..."

"Not the task, baby," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "What had you so upset that you needed..."

"Joe Marsden," she said, "The man we captured and had put to..."

"I know who the bastard is," he broke in. "What the hell about him?"

She shook her head. "He had my father's name, but he wasn't...that man was not my father," she whispered. "The real Joe Marsden is...existing...somewhere else, and his death, me taking this job, it was all his plan." She looked up and into his eyes. "You...the kids...you're the only real part of my life."

He smiled at her. "You're the only real part of mine, baby," he said, kissing her. "Do you want me to help you find him? Is that what..."

"No," she shook her head. "I just...I thought it was over." She shrugged and sat up. "And...the man who told this Gitano guy about Evan...he has to be an agent. Someone on my team. Someone I...well, someone I should trust, but you know I don't trust anyone but..."

"Me," he nodded. "Do you know who it is?"

She shook her head again but looked at him and her smile faded. "I know how to find out."

"How?" he said, sitting up and pulling her close to him.

She heaved a heavy sigh. "We do exactly what they've been after me to do." She gazed into his eyes and bit her lip. "We use Evan."

**A/N: Evan gives them a name, Elliot gives Olivia a surprise, and someone gives Olivia a very difficult...task, next. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: The beat...goes on. A re-imagining of sorts...**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

"Evan, honey," Olivia said, filtering through the crayon-drawn pictures her son had strewn across the top of the dining room table, "What are all of these?"

"The things I see in my head," the boy replied, smiling as his little fingers danced a blue crayon across his paper.

Olivia handed the artworks, one by one, to Elliot, who was sitting across from her, on the other side of Evan. "These are..."

"Brilliant," Elliot declared proudly, running a finger along the face of his daughter, Lily, whom Evan had drawn in the center of one page.

"Explicit," Olivia said, clearing her throat as she handed Elliot another drawing.

Elliot couldn't help but laugh as he looked down at two crayon people "wrestling" in a big, red bed. "Hey, this is still brilliant. He even knows you have freckles on your..."

"Elliot!" Olivia spat, ripping the construction paper out of his hands. She rolled her eyes, then looked back at her son. "Honey, what...what about this one. Can you tell me what's happening here?" She held up a picture.

Evan looked at her, put his crayon down, and folded his hands. His little head tilted in thought, and he said. "You and dad are sad."

Olivia nodded. "Who...who's in the brown box, sweetheart?"

"Daddy's cop friend," the child said. Then he looked at his father. "Don."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she flipped the picture over, and held another one up. "What about this one?" She handed him a drawing of her and Evan lying on the floor, cradled in Elliot's arms, a puff of smoke to their left.

"Me and Daddy saved you from a monster," he said, picking up his blue crayon. He scribbled across the sky on his paper as he said. "I wrote the story on the back." He flipped the paper over for his mother. "I know you're bleeding, but it's just a scratch. Don't worry. We're all gonna be okay."

"Who's this?" Olivia said, finally picking up the drawing that had her the most concerned, the one that held the answers to her biggest questions, and the reason she'd spent the last hour watching her son color.

Evan looked back at his mother, smiled, and said. "You got the bad guy!" He tapped the man in handcuffs.

"What's his name, bud?" Elliot asked, scruffing Evan's hair.

"I already told you," Evan said, giggling. "Can I go play with Uncle Damon now?" he asked, as he slid off of the dining room chair and went running out of the room.

"Wait, kiddo!" Elliot yelled. "You didn't tell us..."

"Yes, he did, El," Olivia almost whispered.

He looked at his wife, confused, then watched as she slid the drawing toward him. He narrowed his eyes when she tapped a single finger over the gray crayon nametag on the cuffed cartoon. He lifted his head and met her eyes as he mumbled, "Holy shit."

"Get Damon," Olivia said, standing. "I've got a plan." She tapped a button on her communicator and spouted orders as she walked out of the room, leaving Elliot at the table, holding two pictures that scared him to death.

He looked from one to the other, then heaved another heavy sigh. "Fuck."

* * *

"For the last time, Fin," Cragen sighed, "I don't know who he is. I don't even know the name. Have you run him through the system?"

Fin nodded. "Of course we did," he said. "Eleven of them. Nothing on this guy. He's a ghost." He held up a finger. "Until we ran his prints."

"Not his real name?" Cragen asked.

Fin shook his head. "He's had six assumed names in the last ten years, and the last three...Stabler's nailed him on several molestation charges. This could be his way of getting revenge."

"So he's not after Evan because he has a gift," Cragen said, confused, "But because he's Stabler's kid?"

"That's what we're thinkin'...yeah," Fin nodded.

Cragen stood, then walked toward the heavy metal bars that separated him from Fin. "Why am I in here," he began, "When I should be out there, helping you find this guy?"

"Because intel says you're supposed to be a distraction," Fin told him. "If you're in here, safe, alone, then no way in hell anyone is gonna get to you, and this Gitano guy has no choice but to go after his real target first."

Cragen's fingers curled around the cold steel. "You locked me up, put me in a jail cell, to protect me?"

Fin smirked. "Damn right," he said, handing Cragen a cell phone. "This only dials two numbers. Me and Stabler. Use it in case of an emergency." He backed away from the cell and tugged on his sleeves just as his wrist-communicator beeped. "It's go time."

* * *

"You sure we're in the right place?" Elliot hissed over her shoulder at Olivia, his task vest and all of its components shifting as he moved.

"This is the building Evan drew," she whispered back, her fatal weapon in her hands, one finger on the trigger.

Elliot rounded the corner, looked at her, and said, "We got two men going around the back, one heading in from the roof, one in the wings."

"I know where my agents are," she said, her eyes slitted. "I'm not one of your partners, Stabler, I'm running this Op, and I happen to know how it's set up and how it will play out, you do not need to give me the coordinates of the other operatives."

He smirked at his wife. "Habit," he shrugged. "Ya know, you were much easier to deal with in London."

She slapped him in the arm and jutted her chin forward, telling him to keep moving. He took a step around the corner and she gasped, as he was pushed away from her. She raised her weapon, but froze. "Evan!"

"Mommy!" the boy yelled, trying to kick his way out of a man's arms. A man she'd never seen before, but who she knew well. "Mom, don't move!"

She didn't listen, instead she took a few steps forward. "Let him go!" she commanded, her eyes filled with fear and fire.

The man laughed. "Oh, hell no," he said. "He's my good luck charm." He gave Evan a kiss on the cheek. "He brought you right to me."

"What?" Olivia asked, dropping her weapon, and her guard, for a second too long. She saw the man move, Evan fell to the ground and she felt strong hands wrap around her and pull her backward. She felt the cold, sharp blade against her neck and she dropped her weapon.

Eliot scrambled to his feet and aimed his weapon, but his heart stopped when he realized he didn't have a safe shot. His weapon would hurt Olivia, no matter where he aimed.

"Remember me, Stabler?" the chilling voice hummed, right into Olivia's ear.

Elliot nodded once. "Let her go, Gitano" he said. "She has nothing to do with..."

"She has everything to do with this." The man dug the blade into Olivia's neck a bit. "One move from you, one inch, and she's gone."

Olivia stared right into her husband's eyes. "Shoot," she said. "Take the shot, Stabler, that's an order!"

"Ohh," the man chuckled. "This bitch gives you orders? Now, that's not the Elliot Stabler I know."

Elliot, his weapon still aimed, tried to breathe. "We're partners," he said. His eyes dropped slightly to hers. "For life."

Olivia nodded. "El," she said to him, feeling a tear drip down her cheek, "It's okay."

Elliot shook his head slightly, his hands trembling. "Evan! You okay, buddy?"

Evan didn't move. He was curled, lying on his side, limp.

"Shoot him, Elliot," Olivia's voice called again.

Gitano chuckled. "You softened him," he said, his hot, rank breath hitting her ear, filtering up her nose. "He would have shot me a long time ago if he was still the Stabler I knew." He crooked his head again. "How much do you love her?" he yelled toward Elliot.

"El, just shoot him!" Olivia shouted.

"More than anything," Elliot said, no hesitation.

Evan groaned, rolled over a bit, and Elliot turned his head toward him. "Evan?"

Gitano laughed. "Hey, Stabler," he waited until he had Elliot's eyes on him. "Choose." His hand slashed across Olivia's throat, and he took off running.

Elliot froze, his head turning, his eyes darting from Gitano's fading form to Olivia lying on the floor beside her son. He heard more footsteps, heard the familiar sound of fatal weapons firing off, and he snapped out of his daze. "Shit," he said, dropping his weapon and running toward her. "Liv, Liv, baby, no...no!

"I'm...I'm fine," she wheezed. "Where...where is he...El? Go...go get..."

"They got him, baby," he told her. He wrapped his hand around hers, pressing harder onto the gash on her neck. "He never made it out of here." He sighed and dropped his head to hers. "Vaporized." He kissed her forehead. "You were right," he whispered.

She shook her head. "No," she coughed and struggled to sit up. "Evan was," she said, turning her head to look at her son. "It's okay, honey, you can get up now. The...the man's gone."

Evan slowly rolled onto his back and then sat up. "He wasn't a man, mommy," he said, crawling toward Olivia and Elliot. "He was a monster."

* * *

The clicking of heels carried through the air, and as the doors slid open, several agents in black stood at attention and saluted. They all watched their Universal Commander enter the room, followed by her Second-In-Command, and they were flanked on either side by several armed agents, including Damon.

"At ease," Olivia shouted as she reached the front of the room. She rested her hands on the top of the podium as her agents simultaneously sat. "Thanks to critical speed and efficient work from the Global Preemptive Crime Prevention Task Force, Task: Cragen has been found to be merely a red herring, and Task: Stabler Two is safe and sound, and officially marked 'handled."

Applause erupted from the agents, and Olivia smiled. "More so," she began, "The GPCPTF has uncovered a mole among you. Special Ops very own Benedict Arnold."

Behind Olivia, Elliot stood, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck. He moved subtly as a smile crept over his lips.

Olivia licked her own lips and suppressed the urge to moan as she felt her husbands hand on her ass, and she kept speaking. "One of you planned not only to aid an assailant in the termination of one of our cohorts in the NYPD, but also to frame two innocents for that termination, to terminate my mate and your SIC, and to kidnap and torture an innocent young one." She waited for the gasps and murmurs to stop. "That young one, my son Evan, is safe at home tonight, thanks to the dedication of Agent D. Stabler, Agent Tutuola, and Agent P. Declan, who were part of this covert mission."

Elliot squeezed the flesh in his right hand, groaned softly, and said a silent prayer in thanks that things had worked, and his family was safe. He cleared his throat. "Can I?" he asked, leaning toward his wife.

Olivia stepped back, allowing Elliot to step up to the podium. "I'm gonna make this short, and very clear. Plain English. No one fucks with my family and lives. No one. You have no idea who you've just pissed off here, and it's been left up to me to not only interrogate the piece of shit that tried to kill me and my wife, and take my son, but I also get to decide the...uh...'method of termination." He used his fingers to make an air-quote gesture as he said the phrase, then dropped his hands again. "Quick and painless my ass. You're gonna suffer and I am gonna watch, laughing. I hope you fucking..."

"Elliot!" Olivia snapped.

Elliot looked at her, took a breath, and turned back to the agents who all looked terrified. "Sorry." He turned to Damon and nodded.

Damon grinned as he stepped off of the platform and walked down the center aisle, coming to a stop right beside Agent Lake. "Agent Chester Lake, please rise," he ordered.

Lake looked up at him. "You're mistaken," he said, not moving.

"I assure you, my information is factual and, once again, I request that you rise," Damon said. Then he gritted his teeth. "Or I'll fucking pull you up by your balls."

Lake cleared his throat, then got to his feet. He shook his head as he put his hands behind his back, giving up and letting Damon cuff him. He looked toward Olivia. "Permission for inquiry, UCIC Benson, ma'am?"

"Granted," Olivia nodded.

"How did you know?" Lake asked, moving slowly as Damon escorted him to the front of the room.

Olivia grinned. "The Global Preemptive Crime Prevention Task Force," she said. "They're very good with uncovering secrets of this nature."

"We don't even have that taskforce," Lake shouted.

"Oh, yes we do," Olivia said, smirking. "In fact, Agent Lake, the whole thing was your idea."

Lake's face went white. "You mean...you...you wouldn't...that little bastard!"

"Hey!" Olivia barked. "You will refrain from calling my child such a foul name!" she yelled. She took two steps toward him, then she sneered, "You were right. He really is the greatest weapon I have."

Lake shook his head, and as he was removed from the white lecture room, he felt the eyes on him, the looks of disgrace his former colleagues were giving him, and he only hoped whatever method SIC Stabler decided on would kill him quickly. He knew, though, that that hope was in vain.

"UCIC Benson, Ma'am?" a female agent's voice called from the doorway as Lake and Damon left.

"Yes, Carnelle?" Olivia waited for a response in Elliot's arms.

"There's a visitor at the front gate for you, he seems terribly agitated that his handprints fail to open the access portal," Carnelle said. "Forgive the confusing information, Commander, but...he states that he is your male parental figure."

Olivia tilted her head, then looked at Elliot.

"Your what?" he asked, kissing her on the very end of her nose.

She let out a soft breath as she sank deeper into his hold. "My father."

**A/N: Secrets revealed, a bit of lovin', and a trip to Italy...next.**


End file.
